


Inevitable

by commanderpyre



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Phasma - Delilah S. Dawson, Star Wars: Resistance (Cartoon)
Genre: AU where they survive post the finale, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Fix-It, Mutual Pining, Pyerny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22537876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commanderpyre/pseuds/commanderpyre
Summary: If Tierny and Pyre survived.Death is inevitable, undeceived, but is always followed by rebirth.
Relationships: Cardinal/Agent Tierny (past), Commander Pyre/Agent Tierny
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to the twitter pyernys, special thanks to @CH1SSASCENDANCY and @ct_hardcase :)
> 
> This will be multi-chapter so I'll update tags and rating as I go.

It was fashioned from the finest materials Arkanis had to offer; an ornate handle carved from rich hardwoods, and a blade of crystalline glass. The weapon was no wider than a human’s finger, perfect for nimble hands. By no means did this make it inferior. Sharpened to a point like a needle, it was as lethal as it was elegant.

Agent Tierny had acquired the dagger as a gift years ago when General Hux had first made her acquaintance.

The two were not close, and he was far superior an officer outranking most, even then. But the young Armitage Hux was known for his tendency to flaunt himself in all possible ways. Whilst Tierny found the man’s boasting and snobbish nature unnecessary and insufferable at times, she’d accepted it. Hux had procured the weapon especially, from his homeworld, Arkanis, and it was of a certain rarity; a fine addition to her arsenal.

When observing her personal collection, they’d shared a steaming mug of Tarine tea. Engaged in genuine in-depth discussions on each artifact. The exchange was of a cordial manner. Hux was transparent in his motives though, and Tierny saw through him with ease. The gift was not given out of kind consideration or an attempt to forge a friendship. It was just because he could. Just because she and Commander Pyre worked with Captain Phasma; the closest friend the man had. That deemed them both worthy of a gift in his eyes. He’d seemed genuine in his awe. Impressed with her in a way he was not with Pyre. And after all the stress other higher ups had given her and continued to give her, she had to admit. Being appreciated felt good.

Tierny’s uniform had a myriad of cleverly concealed pockets, as did all the First Order Agents; insides of the boots, special compartments around the holster. The one low on her left thigh was were she kept her dagger.

Now, she remembered it. Needed it.

The dark side of the Force, wielded by Kylo Ren, had Tierny locked down. Unable to move. A black smoke like energy, it was haunting, ghostly. Yet it was real, hideously real. It’s grip continued to strengthen, coiling round her neck like a noose. Squeezing the life from her soul, breath from her lungs.

“The First Order does not tolerate the weak.” He scolded.

Tierny coughed and spluttered. Straining her neck she tried to speak, but the pain, it was excruciating.

She’d trained to resist interrogation. But it was nothing like this. This was the Force. She was helpless against such metaphysical power. Water welled in her eyes. They stung. Her whole body stung as she squirmed, attempting and failing to free herself. If she could free one hand. If she could just reach the dagger.

Already, it was too late. Tierny felt herself beginning to lose consciousness.

Surely, this could not be all her life had amounted to? To die at the hands of an ungrateful brat of a Supreme Leader would be a humiliating end. It was absurd to her; there were too many things she had yet to do, yet to say. Friends, colleagues, those she admired… Commander Pyre.

As a girl, Tierny knew she was meant for more; to rise from dirt, nothingness, and to reach heights others had deemed her incapable of. Her position and status as a top Agent of the First Order was hard earned. It gave her purpose. Allowed her to focus her drive, hone her skills. This was the Galaxy’s whill. She’d always known her life was a ladder. _There’s more steps for me to climb? There has to be?_

The Force answered her, as if it had heard her silent pleas, cries, felt her agony. And it was merciful. She was saved.

“ENOUGH!”

A voice boomed from Ren’s end of the hologram. Hux’s voice.

Startled by the sudden interruption, Ren turned. For a fraction of a second, the force connection was weakened. And it was indeed, _enough_.

Without hesitation she took the opportunity.

Tierny freed the dagger. Threw it with perfect aim across the bridge. It sliced through the air so finely it made no sound until hitting the source of the hologram’s projection. With a sharp clang the connection was shut down. Kylo Ren was gone.

Throat dry and raw, she wanted to claw at it. Eradicate all sense of the darkness that’d choked her. She was desperate to fall to her knees. To take a second to breathe. Taste the oxygen as it re-entered her; relish the invigorating feeling, feel LIFE. She couldn’t. It was not over yet. Death loomed on the horizon like a fast approaching tidal wave; an imposing force surging forward, seizing all who lay in it’s path. If Tierny let herself succumb to exhaustion, she’d die.

And she had not escaped one fate only to fall victim to another.

The shields were down; they’d been defenseless against a fleet of Resistance Starfighters, and the Destroyer was mere minutes away from imploding. Panic now roared throughout the bridge as it shook under the impact of blaster-fire. Amidst this chaos, no one cared or had time to question anything, and Tierny ran for the exit.

Kylo Ren declaring her “weak” was all talk; for a show in front of Hux and Pyre and whoever else dared listen. The true reason Ren wanted Tierny dead was because she’d aided Tam in her flee from the First Order. Not so much aided, simply ignored what she knew was happening under her nose. Allowed Tam to leave because she’d felt it was for the best. For many reasons, she’d believed it the right thing to do. Tierny stood by that decision, regret nothing. The Supreme Leader had only suspected and discovered this thanks to his Force abilities. Tierny had been far too thorough to slip up, give herself away.

In the end none of that mattered anymore. But the fact no one else knew of this played to her advantage. Allowed her to get away.

Swift as tired legs could carry her she ran until reaching the escape pods.

She glanced around frantically. All of them had already been ejected. Others shared her idea, it seemed, and they’d got here first.

“No.” She whispered. A harsh scowl hardened her face.

At this point the entire rear of the ship was in flames. Alarms blared. The deafening noise had her ears bleeding.

Turning the corner Tierny’s expression contorted into a wicked smile. There were two left, and by one, stood Commander Pyre. _Why?_ Why had he waited for her?

“Pyre.” Gloved hand on his shoulder, she motioned him to board the escape pod. “Let’s go.”

Tierny’s abrupt presence caused him to flinch, hand clamping around his gold blaster.

Pyre wasn’t often startled. But he was on edge, the hysteria that swept through the ship had wormed it’s way past his hard armor. Beneath it, the light hairs covering his arms stood on end.

“Tierny?!” He breathed her name in a sigh of relief.

The sight of her, the confirmation she was safe. The genuine fear in her eyes; a look which Pyre had never seen grace her pretty face. All of it, it had his blood boiling with an overwhelming amount of emotions.

“I said lets go!”

This time Pyre had no snarky comeback.

Jumping inside, Pyre closed the hatch. Tierny was at the controls now, flicking switches. Adrenalin surging through her veins was the only thing keeping her going.

The escape pod ejected. Both stood back from the controls, watched from the window. In this moment, the Star Destroyer imploded on itself, spitting out debris in a fiery burst. A violent blast followed. It was like fireworks. Fireworks of death like those that’d covered the skies of Endor. It’s impact fast reached them, and they felt the terrifying heat of it as it shook the pod to it’s core. In the jolt Tierny was forced back into Pyre’s chest.

Neither moved.

Tierny slowly turned to face him, moved her gaze upward.

Glistening stars cast down upon them, and the debris to their rear still flickered like an aurora. In this warm light, Pyre’s golden armor shone. There was no way for Tierny to read Pyre through his helmet. But. His armor wasn’t its usual brilliant and blinding. Instead… It was as if it was purposefully something different. Soft. An intimate glow.

The fright of the situation had their hands still trembling. Pyre’s breathing was heavy. So was Tierny’s. Except for the gentle hum of the escape pod, there was nothingness. It was just this, just them.

Peace was welcomed. It offered solace, confronted them. This time neither Pyre nor Tierny could run from the plain truth this situation brought to light. They found comfort in the silent presence of each other.

As Tierny dared to place a hand on his chest, steady herself, Pyre watched. Her dark gaze, again, held something different that he had not seen before. A vulnerability. Delicate as a flower’s petal. It was startling on her. Pyre could not look away, he was unable to refrain from pulling her closer. He wrapped an arm around her back. To his surprise Tierny mirrored the action. Held him firmly. Still, neither spoke. They hadn't the energy to speak, to put anything to words, nor knew what they should even say.

From tiredness, from exhausting fear and the effort it had taken to get away, and perhaps from something more, Tierny felt her face burning. Blood rushed to her cheeks.

Then, Tierny was leaning in, bridging the gap between them and resting her head against Pyre’s armor. The coolness of it was most welcome. She listened to his heart racing. Let her eyes fall shut. A tear spilled onto Pyre’s chest as she did so.

Beneath his helmet Pyre was blushing awfully. He clutched at her, tightening the hug. They held onto each other with all the strength left in them.

Ren’s voice echoed in Tierny’s mind. “Weak.” Force did she feel the weakest she’d ever felt. Her thought’s shifted to Tam then; a girl so young, with perhaps a better sense of the Galaxy than she. _Did I really lose everything?_ Tierny asked herself. _Did I really lose if I never even had anything of worth to begin with?_

She had not cried in years. The weight upon her shoulders that’d burdened her for so long dissipated with each tear spilling onto Pyre’s armor; it was freeing, cathartic. Exhilarating even. Tierny had come close to death before. But this time it had been different. It was the first time she’d been utterly helpless. She did not only cry for herself, either, and now the sobs would not cease.

“Hey, stop.” Pyre’s tone was sincere. A rarity. It was strangely calming. “This, it isn’t you.”

“You’re right...” Her voice was muffled as she spoke into his chest.

With a few deep breaths she managed to collect herself somewhat.

Pyre dreamed of this ever since Cardinal had left, waited to be the one to hold Tierny. He’d craved and pined and finally… It was tantalizing, bitter sweet. Because ultimately, Pyre knew, Tierny was not _here_ in this moment. This was not affection, but consolation.

Over the years they’d bickered playfully, teased at each other, sometimes competed for fun. A few times, off duty it’d led to flirtatious bickering which had all but killed Pyre. It was merely a comfortable friendship. There had always been a rapport, a closeness between them. Never too personal. On a professional level they knew each other damn well. And Pyre, ever since he had set eyes on Tierny; when he had _truly_ seen her _,_ her skill, the way she carried herself, her focus. Pyre had wished he could be more like her, to know her. Wished to be the one who knew precisely how she took her morning tea. Wanted to talk to her about anything and everything. Pyre had loved Tierny from afar for a long while.

Even if they would not admit it. He would not say, and Tierny would not ask; it was obvious why he followed her into the escape pod.

As they parted, Pyre grasped onto Tierny’s hand for a lingering moment. It took everything for him to not make a fool out of himself, to let go. He broke the silence with his familiar laugh; this time it was smaller in his throat. Tierny’s heart warmed at the sound of it, and she gave a smile in return.

The two looked back at the wreckage of the destroyer, now only a speck in the far distance. They didn’t know why, it wasn’t remotely funny, but they burst into a genuine laughter. Uncontrollable, hysterical laughter. 

When it died down, they returned to their professional distance. The pair had done this many times, perhaps not on this scale. But often, they’d experience something, an emotion, a situation, that should be private. Except in the presence of each other. Afterwards they’d act like nothing had happened. Ren’s hologram threatening them, forcing them to almost shoot each other, was the most recent incident. Now this.

Tierny had gotten used to it, she was the initiator. But it pained Pyre, so much that it made him ache.

What both Pyre and Tierny were unaware of, was how each craved to console the other.

**

The escape pod was plummeting toward some unknown planet. Entering the atmosphere at high speed. Jarringly confronted with the reality of their situation, both rushed to the controls.

One of the pod’s thrusters had broken during the blast and their trajectory had been compromised.

“I can’t do anything more. Pyre?”

He shook his head.

Tierny had survived similar situations before, they’d come down fast and hard. It was just a matter of luck. After everything, it had come down to sheer luck.

“Tierny-” Pyre gazed at her, gestured her to return to his side.

“What?”

“My armor, if we crash-”

“I have my own.” She snapped back.

“Please.”

There was little time for arguing and Tierny gave in.

Together they sat a the rear. Pyre cocooned his entire body around hers, shielding her. Held her head, felt her hair.

Now that they were close again, with nothing to do but wait, Pyre couldn’t resist, couldn’t coward out any longer; there simply might not be enough time in the Galaxy left for them.

“What are you doing?”

After she’d asked it was already clear.

Pyre reached for his helmet. With a light hiss from the base, it was removed.

Tierny’s gaze morphed into a stare. She was stunned to silence.

One night in her cold quarters, Tierny had grown curious as to Pyre’s physical appearance. Had gone out of her way to search for his files. Dug out a holo image. In front of her now, Pyre was more or less the same. A little older of course. What was new was the thick white scar that cut down the left side of his face. Spanning from his brow to his cheek, it crossed his eye. An eye that was now glazed with a white sheen. The slash that caused it must have been deep, deadly, as not even bacta had healed the tissue.

Pyre’s short lashes fluttered as he blinked, adjusting to the light.

“I wanted to see you,” he began, “without the visor.”

His voice and tone were sturdy as ever, but his expression was fragile.

Pyre was afraid to know her reaction; after all this time, he had imagined it so many ways.

Tierny detected his insecurity immediately. It was easier to read him without the helmet.

Pyre’s beauty could be described as violent; striking. War had taken it’s toll on the man. In a perverse way, it suited him. Pyre was somehow more handsome like this. A few dark beauty spots graced his fair skin, and he wore his hair swept back. It was an odd colour; almost chestnut at the roots, yet the light tainted the rest of it a dusty blonde. A thin, fine, immaculately shaven beard coated his strong jaw. His right eye was a steely blue, laced with hints of hazel. Face slightly sweaty, dirty from the fight, he looked ethereal.

Neither could pull their gaze away from the other.

Tierny realized Pyre had been exploring her as she had been him. And she felt compelled to reach for him. Fingers grazing across the harsh contours of his face, she inspected the severity of his scar. 

“It suits you,” She reassured him. Her voice was as soft as her touch; soothing, like a balm to his wounds. Pyre opened his mouth to speak, but Tierny pressed a finger to his lips, “We all have them."

She took him by the hand. Guided him. Pressed his palm against the side of her face, against her own scar. Gave him permission to touch.

Pyre felt the roughness of it, not unlike his. It was noticeable, but not as prominent. In it's design, it was the same. They were the same.

His expression relaxed then, and he melted further into her touch. Pyre rubbed his face against her hand, inhaled deeply.

Tierny realized that she wanted nothing more in this moment than to kiss him. This revelation was not a surprise, not honestly.

Tempted to give in to her base desires, she leaned closer. Then hesitated.

Tierny had not agreed with every single one of Pyre’s orders, opinions, but she had served the First Order because, ultimately, she believed in it as a whole. This was the norm, but with Pyre she’d wanted it to be different. She’d craved to trust him, to confide in him. There could be more to them, as an item, absolutely. But the question that she kept asking was; _should there be?_ Pyre was a tainted man, he was far from Tierny’s ultimate match, and yet in his imperfectness, he was perfect. There was something that drew her in- Pyre, much like his armor, was eye catching. No longer could she deny that raw attraction.

Pyre could see her mind spinning and he cut her off, made the move.

His lips were rough against hers, but the kiss was tender. Wet, and sensual, but so tender. As though they were scared to hurt each other. Hands cupping Tierny’s face, Pyre drank her in slowly. Every touch was like a lightening bold to his skin, igniting and fueling the fire within. He’d wanted this for so long he could not help the small moans that escaped him.

Heavy turbulence pulled them from their moment. Caused them to snap apart. They were too close to impact. This was it. They gazed at each other, then to the window.

All they could do was hope they survive. Hope.


End file.
